Integrated circuit chips are becoming more complex to meet the need of the consumer. As the complexity of the chips increases, the requirements for reduction of the area of bonding pads and the like, over which transmissions travel, increases. Although the need for bonding pads is increasing, it is not practical to increase the size of the chips, as board real-estate is at a premium. Consequently, in order to meet the requirements of increased number of bonding pads, the size and the spacing between the bonding pads must be minimized (currently center-line spacing for bonding pads has been proposed at 0.003 inches).
As the spacing between bonding pads in minimized, the spacing of the terminals or contact pins which mate thereto must also be minimized in order to facilitate mating. One application in which closely spaced pins are mated to closely spaced bonding pads is shown in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/786,642 filed Nov. 1, 1991. The closely spaced contact pins are positioned and maintained in round holes which extend through a contact guide. This effectively maintains the pins in position and provides the electrical connection required. However, the manufacture of round openings on such close center-line spacing requires the use of expensive, accurate machinery, such as high quality lasers which uniformly distribute energy across the beam cross-section. The expense of such high quality lasers can significantly impact the price of the contact guide and consequently the overall price of the connector.
It would, therefore, be beneficial to utilize a contact guide which is manufactured with less expensive machinery. As the close center-line spacing requires controlled tolerances, it is essential that the method of manufacturing the contact guide maintain the precision required to ensure that the guide cooperates with the contact pins to provide an accurate positioning of the pins.